The morality of larks and owls: relationship between the biological clock and morality in decision making.

The morality of larks and owls: relationship between the biological clock and morality in decision making.

Decision-making is affected by many factors; among them is the level of morality in decision-making. Recently, a link between unethical decisions and time-of-day was demonstrated and two explanations were suggested: 1) Ethical behavior is depleted along the day by daily activities; 2) There is a daily rhythm in morality, which is based on the circadian clock. The current study tested these explanations by characterizing the subject’s (n=48) circadian rhythm, and tested their level of morality in a decision-making task that enabled an opportunity to cheat in turn for greater gains. The results support the hypothesis that there is a daily rhythm in morality.